Phosphate-driven H2O2 decomposition on DNA-bound bio-inspired activated carbon-based sensing platform for biological and food samples

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is one of the most important reactive oxygen species (ROS). Increased endogenous H2O2 levels indicate oxidative stress and could be a potential marker of many diseases, including Alzheimer's, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. However, consuming H2O2-incorporated food has adverse effects on humans and is a serious health concern. We used salmon testes DNA with bio-inspired activated carbon (AC) as an electrocatalyst for developing a novel H2O2 sensor. The phosphate backbone of DNA contains negatively charged oxygen groups that specifically attract protons from H2O2 reduction. We observed a linearity range of 0.01-250.0 mu M in the H2O2 reduction peak current with a detection limit of 2.5 and 45.7 nM for chronoamperometric and differential pulse voltammetric studies. High biocompatibility of the sensor was achieved by the DNA, facilitating endogenous H2O2 detection. Moreover, this non-enzymatic sensor could also help in the rapid screening of H2O2-contaminated foods.